Donald Cerrone expected to fight champ Jamie Varner at WEC 38

Following his Fight of the Night victory over former champion Rob McCullough at Wednesday’s WEC 36 event, Donald Cerrone (9-0) will now get a shot at the reigning champion’s title.

The Cerrone-McCullough fight had been considered a No. 1 contender’s bout with the winner expected to earn the shot to fight current WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner. The Varner-Cerrone fight will likely take place at WEC 38.

The fight event is tentatively scheduled to take place Jan. 25 — possibly in San Diego.

Cerrone, a ground specialist who began his career with nine consecutive submission victories, had McCullough in trouble early. McCullough hung tough, though, and ultimately hung on for the unanimous-decision loss. Both fighters picked up $7,5000 Fight of the Night bonuses for the un-televised effort.

The Ring of Fire veteran is now 2-0 in the WEC with victories over Danny Castillo and McCullough. (His WEC 30 submission victory over Kenneth Alexander was overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Cerrone tested positive for a banned diuretic.)

The 25-year-old “Cowboy” was all but guaranteed a title shot with a victory over McCullough.

Varner, who transitioned from the UFC to the WEC in 2007, defeated McCullough for the title in just his second WEC fight. Since that February victory, Varner has made a successful title defense over Marcus Hicks for his fourth straight victory. In fact, Varner has lost just once — to notable Hermes Franca — in his past 17 fights.

For the latest on WEC 38, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

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